Robert Herjavec was born on September 14, 1962, in Zbjeg, Croatia. When he was 8, he fled the communist regime with his family to live in Canada, Business News Daily reports. At the time he spoke no English.

According to Herjavec, his family left Croatia with one suitcase and $20 in hand. They lived for 18 months in a friend's basement while they began rebuilding their new life in North America.

Herjavec's first jobs were as a newspaper deliveryman and a waiter. These early experiences in customer service taught him the ins and outs of being a successful businessman.

Herjavec graduated from the University of Toronto in 1984 with a bachelor's in English literature.

University of Toronto

Before entering into entrepreneurship, however, he dabbled in other careers. They included retail, television, and even a stint as a collection agent.

YouTube

He eventually got a job at the company Logiquest. His first role there was in sales, but he rose all the way up to become general manager. In 1990 he was fired from the company.

"Beyond the Tank"/ABC

In 1990 he launched his own internet-security company, BRAK Systems, in his basement. According to Herjavec, he never thought he'd enter the world of entrepreneurship. His reason for founding BRAK: He needed to pay his mortgage somehow.

The same year he found BRAK Systems he married Diane Plese. They have three children together — two daughters and a son.

After 10 years, BRAK Systems became Canada's largest internet-security company.

Herjavec began accumulating his wealth. He and Plese ended up buying a 50,000-square-foot mansion in Toronto.

YouTube

BRAK Systems sold to AT&T for $30.2 million in cash in 2000, The Toronto Star reports.

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

After the sale, Herjavec began working for AT&T and then took a job at the company Ramp Networks. He served as vice president of sales at Ramp, helping the company sell to Nokia for $225 million. After this acquisition, Herjavec decided to retire for a few years to be with his three children.

"Shark Tank"/ABC

After three years, Herjavec got the entrepreneur bug again. So in 2003 he founded the internet-security company The Herjavec Group.

The Herjavec Group

The Herjavec Group has become the fastest-growing Canadian security company, earning tens of millions of dollars in revenue every year, according to Branham Group.

REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

Even when running a business, Herjavec always had passions outside the office. For example, he loves to race cars. The Ferrari is his car of choice.

He has been known to compete in the Ferrari Challenge race.

Ferrari

He even won second place once.

He's also a frequent guest on television shows. In Canada he appeared on six seasons of the reality show "Dragons' Den," whose format is similar to that of "Shark Tank."

CBC

His highest-profile television appearance is on the American reality show "Shark Tank."

"Shark Tank"/ABC

Since 2009 he has sat next to Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, and Mark Cuban while desperate entrepreneurs vie for a venture-capital investment.

Paul A. Hebert/Getty

He has also appeared on "Dancing with the Stars."

In 2014, Herjavec and his wife split up. He told People magazine that the ordeal put him in a deep depression. To get through it, he worked in a homeless shelter in Seattle.

Mike Nudelman/Business Insider

But he got through this spell. He is now engaged to his "Dancing with the Stars" partner, Kym Johnson.

Whether he's dancing, investing, or driving, he's giving it his all and is always ready for the next adventure.

"Shark Tank"/ABC

An earlier version of this article was published last year. Cale Weissman contributed reporting to this article.